A seventh-grade student at a Florida middle school stabbed two other students and a teacher early Tuesday, seriously injuring at least two of the victims, the authorities said.
The attack took place at the Walton Middle School in DeFuniak Springs, Fla., at around 7:17 a.m., during early morning drop off before the school opened for the day, Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr., of Walton County, said at a news conference.
The sheriff said a student walked directly into a school bathroom after he was dropped off, and after about two minutes, walked out of the bathroom masked and armed “with a sharp implement.” The sheriff said the student attacked the “first student he comes in contact with,” stabbing the victim multiple times.
The student then “separates from that individual,” the sheriff said, and went down a hall where he attacked a paraprofessional and then attacking another student farther down the hallway.
The first victim was “incapacitated,” the sheriff said, and received aid from a teacher.
The student fled from the school and police officers found him nearby, the sheriff said, noting that the student was in custody “within about seven minutes” and that the entire attack “took place in less than about 45 seconds.”
One of the victims was flown to a hospital for treatment and another was taken to a Level 2 trauma center. The paraprofessional who was attacked was also taken to a hospital and did not have life-threatening injuries, Sheriff Adkinson said. Two of the victims were also in seventh grade, according to the sheriff.
DeFuniak Springs is a city of about 7,000 people in the Florida panhandle, about 70 miles northeast of Pensacola.
“At this point, there’s no further danger to the public,” the sheriff said, adding that he would not speculate on the motive for attack as the investigation continued.
It was unclear on Tuesday afternoon whether charges would be filed.
Aimee Ortiz covers breaking news and other topics.
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